


In The Rubble

by weasleywood



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: (only mentioned), Angst, Drabble, Mentions of Character Death, nice ish ending?, perciver can be read as romantic or platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-04 02:24:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17889728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weasleywood/pseuds/weasleywood
Summary: Percy thinks back on memories and finds an old friend in the aftermath of the final battle.





	In The Rubble

The battle was over, they had won. It was all still reeling in Percy's mind as he sat in the great hall with his family. His mom was holding his arm, talking to the rest of them, trying to cheer them up in a way that only a mother could. He appreciated her, appreciated all his siblings and the way they'd let him back in even after everything he'd done to them. But still…

He thought of Fred, thought of his body and the piles of others that had formed throughout this. He shouldn't blame himself, knew that Fred wouldn't want that for him. But he'd been the first to offer his love back to him and Percy had failed him. In all his years, he'd never been the type to dwell on what-ifs, he saw what had to be done and took the steps to do it. No looking back, no regrets because regret keeps you from looking forward. Yet, here he was, looking around at this school he had once called home and thinking to himself, “if I hadn't been so blind, hadn't been so stubborn, if I had just came home before all of this, if I wasn't so worried about myself all the time-”

They clawed at his throat and stung his eyes. A thousand what ifs wouldn't bring him back.

Sitting with his thoughts was going to end badly, he could see that. So he stood, giving his mother a reassuring smile and kiss on the cheek. She smiled back and let him go. The hall felt stifling, with a heaviness hanging in the air that nothing could get rid of. Despite that, he slowly made his way around, trying to give some first aid where he could and words of comfort everywhere else. It was good, he thought, a first step in proving that Fred wasn't wrong to welcome him home.

“Perce…?” Oh, he'd know that voice anywhere.

When he turned, there was a man with tanned skin and honey eyes standing in front of him. He was sturdy, built like a professional athlete, which Percy supposed he was nowadays. It didn't look like he'd shaved for a few days and his hair was longer than his friend had ever seen it, but it was still him.

“Oliver, I…” He felt at a loss for words, felt them clawing at his throat again, so he settled simply for, “Hello.”

And it must have been the right thing to say because the man in front of him lit up.

“Hello,” he said softly. The longer they stood, the more his smile grew. He'd always had a beautiful one, something that charmed crowds and warmed cheeks.

All at once, Percy felt like a kid again. Like he was standing in their dorms on the first day of school, seeing Oliver laugh with delight at the thought of getting to spend another year with him. He'd been the only one who had ever laughed with him like that, the only one that made him smile until his cheeks hurt.

He didn't even realize he'd been stepping forward until his friend opened his arms for him. Welcoming, warm, just the way Olivers always been. So he let himself in, let his arms wrap around his shoulders and his head bury itself into his neck. His friend didn't mind, just hugged him back equally tight. The tears were falling before he could stop them, hearing his own pathetic sniffles as they stood.

“I missed you,” he heard the Scot say, but it was a broken sound, like he was crying too. It broke him a little inside.

“I-I missed you too.” He felt the arms around him pull tighter. “I was such an idiot, Ollie. Just a stubborn fucking fool and now- and now Fr-” He couldn't finish, just broke off into sobs.

“I know, I'm sorry, Percy.”

They held each other for what felt like an eternity, both of them letting the other get everything out. It didn't make the sadness go away, but it was a little easier to deal with in the moment. Percy let himself be washed away in the memories, aching for simpler times but knowing it was a foolish hope.

Still, as they broke apart enough to look at each other, they were a nice comfort. Nothing was the same as they were kids and everything hurt a lot more, but he was here, standing in Hogwarts with his best friend in the world and his family nearby. Maybe everything would be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written for a long time now but I recently fell in love with this pairing and have had quite a few ideas for them. I figured I'd post this short drabble I thought of first. Sorry its not longer, thank you for reading still though!


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